I saw the trailor to the new "Dark Shadows" movie Tuesday night when I went to see "The Raven," and it is undoubetedly a comedy version of the Barnabas Collins story, but it still has that creepy look to it. A lot of the major "Dark Shadows" fans, however, aren't going to be too happy about it, and at first I was a little unhappy, but then I remembered how much I loved some of the comedy/horror classics like "Love at First Bite," and "Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein." If we can have comedies based on the character of Count Dracula, why not make a comedy based on Barnabas Collins. I think it's going to be a good story, and I actualy think it will be funny.

As for the revival series, I was sort of hoping they would bring back the wearwolf, but I doubt that will ever happen.

I agree, Mike, with your attitude about the new Dark Shadows film. It is obviously not going to have the same tone as the original series, but I hope & believe that Depp & Burton have approached the material affectionately. As long as I can sense that they did that, I can take the comedic approach. After all, the original series is still available. Being angry with Burton & Depp over taking a different approach makes no more sense than being angry with Tom Stoppard for writing Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. It's not like he destroyed Hamlet just because he had some fun with it.

I totaly agree. "Love at First Bite" was a "Dracula" story, as "Abott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" was a Frankenstein story. I think this movie is going to be a great horror/comedy, and it may actualy breath more "life" into "Dark Shadows." The purists are going to complain about it, I have no doubt.

I am also going to see it at the Harvest Moon Drive-In theatre in Gibson City Ill. I was originaly going to take my motorcycle and a Sony Walkman for the audio, but I heard that this movie is going to have a great sound track, and my car has a much better sound system, so I am going to take the car instead.

I went to see the movie this afternoon and quite enjoyed it. If you are of the mind that it's a comedy, forget about it. There are lots of humorous moments, most of which are seen in the trailer, but generally the movie is dark and brooding. Much like the series. In fact, there were a couple scenes where I felt like I was watching the old show. The movie deals a lot with the man out of time concept, which I love. Hope Captain America 2 does half as good a job. I also love the scenes with Barnabas trying to get comfortable while sleeping. There are some future iconic images there.

If you've never seen the series you may feel a bit lost, just enjoy it as another Burton/Depp collaboration. If you know the original you'll be pleasantly surprised at some of the references to the source material. Surprise cameo at the end of the movie! Also, pay attention to what Victoria Winter's real name is (sneaky). I didn't notice the cameos by Frid and the other original actors but according to the credits they are guests at the ball/happening.

This will become one of my yearly Halloween viewing staples until I die, or the world comes to an end, whichever comes first. Stupid Mayans!

Boogeyman wrote:What did you think of Alice Cooper's appearance? I really don't care for Depp at all. Alice would be the only reason I would go see it in the theater.

She was awesome! But I must say, she was the ugliest woman I've ever seen (you'll know when you see the movie).

As someone who came up in the early '70s, I thought they did an admiral job of recreating the era, without over doing it. Alice looked and sounded pretty much the same as when I saw him in concert in '75. The movie was a nostalgic tour-de-force for some of us. Sigh... I really need to buy another lava lamp!

Boogeyman wrote:What did you think of Alice Cooper's appearance? I really don't care for Depp at all. Alice would be the only reason I would go see it in the theater.

She was awesome! But I must say, she was the ugliest woman I've ever seen (you'll know when you see the movie).

As someone who came up in the early '70s, I thought they did an admiral job of recreating the era, without over doing it. Alice looked and sounded pretty much the same as when I saw him in concert in '75. The movie was a nostalgic tour-de-force for some of us. Sigh... I really need to buy another lava lamp!

I already know. I am a member of an international news site and message board for Alice Cooper, and they had the details months ago.

There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.

We found it entertaining. My husband & daughter didn't know the original series, but they are Depp fans, so they had fun. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, given the range of responses here, but I decided to just go with it. I definitely think the film is a comedy, though perhaps not always as LOL as some might have expected from the previews. But they even gave Barnabas a happy ending, so yeah, a comedy.

The Frid cameo comes as Barnabas is welcoming guests to his party. Blink and you will miss it. Lara Parker, the original Angelique, is on his arm. I suppose that David Selby & Katheryn Leigh Scott are also in that scene, but I was so focused on Frid I missed them. I would have liked more of them, especially Frid, but perhaps he wasn't up to much more. There is a more extended cameo by Christopher Lee earlier on.

Very sly references to the original series.

Depp's Barnabas is amusing and at times endearing, but he isn't very much like Frid's at all. Too many comic moments for that. He did do something with his hands that my husband said was an homage to Bela Lugosi. I thought that was kind of interesting. I suspect this is one of those movies that might reward repeated viewings, just because there are probably little references to other classic film vampires that one might miss the first time through.

I was a teenager in the early '70s, so I remember that era vividly. I thought the pop culture references were amusing and accurate, but they don't overwhelm the movie.

I really enjoyed that sequence where he was trying to find a comfortable place to sleep. And, yeah, his reaction to the lava lamp was funny and quite reminiscent of the era. I also loved the scene with the hippies out in the woods. Actually, there was a lot of it that cracked me up.